devoncat
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Jtoro,
Welcome to the board.You have found the right place for support and answers. Dr. Lenz is highly reccommended, so you are in great hands.This is a tough cancer. That said, we have had several members live years with the disease. What are you hoping for with this chemo combo. To be blunt, it rarely puts anyone in remission, though we have had one or two members that it worked for. Are you hoping to shrink it for surgery? That has happened several times with our members. We all need to stay realistically optimistic. We need to know the facts, act on them, then hope and pray for the rest.
I am classified as stage 4 and I am only 35. I know I am terminal now, but that does not mean I will be terminal in 3 years. Things are coming down the pipeline they say and I plan on being here when they come. But I have made a will, divided my possessions and wrote letters to people I care about to be given when and if I die. Now, I can focus on living.
I am going to give you the best piece of advice my psychologist has ever given me. If you only have 3 months, do you want to waste it worrying about death and being sad? That would be terrible. But what would be worse, living 3 years and wasting it worrying about death and being sad.
Being sad and worried and angry and frustrated and scared is all ok. But dont let that take over your life. I am very lucky that in Sweden, they immediately hook you up with a psychologist after being diagnosed with cancer. I HIGHLY reccommend seeing someone to work out things. My husband and I take turns going separately and going together.
You might want to rethink about talking to your kids more. They are old enough to google gastric pain and cancer, your doctors name and specialty and your chemo combo. If they do, they are going to get to cc, liver, or pancreatic cancer. All which are scary and they might need to get some real answers. I know I would google if my mom told me cancer and gastric pain.
Take care. We are here for you.
Hugs,
KrisHappy News. I am sure he will feel better soon. It might take awhile though, but he will feel better.
Kris
Michelle,
If the stent doesnt work, you might want to ask if they can perform surgery to open his digestive tract back up. I had the procedure and after a week or so of recovery, I was eating and keeping things down.Losing weight is not a good sign and doing things to prevent it will help your dad feel better.
Hope things improve.
Kris
Great news Andie. When I was blocked and yellow, the more water I drank, the better I felt. I think all the water helped flush the bilirub out. Something you might want to consider.
Kris
Hollie,
If you can pass on our love to Sophie. I know she cant talk, but perhaps you could tell her daughter we are thinking of her.Sophie has been such a warrior. I will always remember her strength and toughness and how much she looked forward to her grandbaby.
I pray for peace for you, Sophie and the rest of her family.
Kris
I am sorry, but I cant remember where you are but when I was in Glasgow I had stuff done in Edinburgh and here in Sweden I have had scans done at a hospital in another town. Perhaps you should ask if there are places in the surrounding area that have a bed.
Best of luck.
KrisHi Pam.
Welcome to the best cc resource you will find. The nausea pills are wonderful. If your dad is too sick, you can ask for the medicine in suppository form (I call them my little torpedoes!)The surgery your dad had will often mess with the digestive tract. I know from my experience, food was not my friend for a long time. The nutritionist at the hospital wanted me to add cream, oil, and other fats to my diet to help get enough calories because I couldnt eat so much. Plus, they help “grease” the passage if you have constipation. Ensure is also a good source of calories.
Walking is very important in the healing process and please encourage your dad to do it, even if it just around the house.
Hugs,
KrisKristy,
I was originally diagnosed in Scotland and we have lots of UK members here who
I am sure will pop along and offer some more advice, though Andie did give the cc specialists that I can think of.Hang in there.
Kris
Rick,
Sorry about the pain…perhaps it is chemo related. My landlord (a doctor) was estatic I had pain and generally felt like pooh on chemo. He said that was a good sign…dont really understand why.Another chemo treatment to try is 5FU. Xeloda came out of that, but for some reason we have seen people on this board respond to one and not the other. I guess it is how your body metabolises things.
Crossing my fingers for chemoebolization and good news regarding xeloda on your next scan. Hope the pain is under enough control that you can enjoy your daughters birthday.
Hang in there.
KrisMy psychologist is FULL of wonderful thoughts and insights. I wish I could clone her and give her to everyone. She is just so caring. I havent seen her in months since she was away do to illness. I stressed so much about what was going on in her life that she needed 3 months off for sick leave. When I finally saw her this week, we found out she was pregnant and having a difficult and high risk pregnancy. She was so concerned about how I would take the news since she knows all I ever wanted was children and that is no longer in the cards. We of course told her that all babies are miracles and though we might be a little sad it isnt us, we are very happy it is her. But now she will be leaving for maternity leave in October!!! I need to clone her ASAP. It is funny how I cant imagine seeing another psychologist, but I guess I will have to. Hope she comes back part time after the baby. Who else will give me those nuggets of wisdom and ahha moments?
Kris
